*Media Guide
Philadelphia Country Club to host 110th Patterson CupA presiding champion withdraws in pursuit of national glory, a one-year wonder looks to cap off a whirlwind summer and a swarm of contenders hope to earn the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s most decorated medal. These mark a few of the storylines surrounding the 110th Joseph H. Patterson Cup, presented by Liberty Mutual Insurance Aug. 9-10 at Philadelphia Country Club. The William S. Flynn design welcomes the Association’s premier stroke-play championship for the third time in its 122-year history. A field of 132 amateurs will compete in the final Major of the season. Andrew Mason of Huntingdon Valley Country Club, the tournament’s defending champion and current William Hyndman, III Player of the Year points-leader, isn’t returning to protect his crown. He qualified for the U.S. Amateur and will travel to Cherry Hills Village, Colo. in preparation. Joining Mason as a U.S. Amateur participant is Brian Colbert, but his itinerary is a little different. The White Manor Country Club member will compete in the Patterson Cup before boarding a plane to Colorado. He trails Mason by 7.5 points in the Player of the Year chase. “I’m pretty much going to have to just sign my scorecard and drive to the airport if I’m one of the last groups,” Colbert, of Bryn Mawr, Pa., said. “I’m flying out at 6:30 Friday night.” A Chicago native, Colbert is soaring on the wings of a summer dedicated to golf. The recent Villanova University graduate captured the Association’s 112th Amateur Championship and posted a Top 10 finish in its Open Championship two weeks ago at Pine Valley Golf Club. Colbert, who will return to his hometown this fall, hopes to leave a lasting GAP impression with a prominent performance the Patterson Cup. “I’m playing well enough that I feel like I have what it takes to win this tournament,” he said. “If I play my best, I’m going to do pretty well.” Colbert also enters the Patterson Cup as the Silver Cross Award leader. The Silver Cross Award is bestowed upon the player with the lowest aggregate score in the qualifying rounds of the Amateur Championship and Patterson Cup. Colbert holds a four-stroke edge over Brandon Dalinka of The Ridge at Back Brook and Nelson Hargrove of Merion Golf Club. The prize, however, isn’t prevalent in his mind. “It’ll be cool to win it, but it’s not going to change my outlook,” Colbert said. “I’m there to win the tournament; I’m not there to not lose the Silver Cross.” Previous titleholders in this year’s field include Chris Lange of Overbrook Golf Club (1989, 1994, 1999), Brad McFadden of Overbrook Golf Club (1992), Michael McDermott of Merion Golf Club (2007), Greg O'Connor of Huntingdon Valley Country Club (2000), James Robertson of Llanerch Country Club (1977), Jamie Slonis of Tavistock Country Club (2001) and Glenn Smeraglio of Mercer Oaks Golf Course (1998, 2008). James Kania, Jr. of Overbrook Golf Club, the 2009 champion, also returns hoping to reclaim Patterson glory. Fresh off fantastic finishes in the GAP Open Championship (co-runner-up) and Pennsylvania Golf Association's Amateur Championship (fourth), Kania appears poised to make a charge. "I've been playing a lot of good golf, which is nice because the last few years I've been kind of inconsistent," Kania, 23, of Haverford, Pa., said. "I've been in a good rhythm so hopefully I can keep that going. I'd like to keep myself around and have a chance come Friday. That's all you could ask for." Four players will represent Philadelphia Country Club, including Cory Siegfried, who also qualified for the U.S. Amateur Aug. 13-19. Like Colbert, Siegfried, of Villanova, Pa., will travel to Cherry Hills Village post-Patterson. “My expectations are pretty high,” he said. “Whenever you have an event, especially a big event played at your home course, you want to play well. Home-course advantage is huge, given how long I’ve played there and how well I know the course. I’m hoping for a good tournament and a good result.” The first round of the Joseph H. Patterson Cup, presented by Liberty Mutual Insurance, begins Thursday at 7:30 a.m. As always, the media and public are welcome to attend. The Joseph H. Patterson Cup presented by Liberty Mutual Insurance is the second oldest Championship in the Golf Association of Philadelphia, having been contested for 109 years. The Patterson Cup started in 1900 and has been held in every year other than the World War II era (1943-45). Many of the Association’s great champions — J. Wood Platt, William Hyndman, III and R. Jay Sigel, to name a few — have had their name engraved on the trophy. Since 1912, Liberty Mutual has been committed to providing broad, useful and competitively-priced insurance products and services to meet its customers' ever-changing needs. Liberty Mutual’s delivery on this commitment is the reason it is now the third-largest property and casualty insurer in the U.S. based on 2010 net written premium. Founded in 1897, the Golf Association of Philadelphia (GAP) is the oldest regional golf association in the United States and serves as the principal ruling body of amateur golf in its region. Its 145 Member Clubs and 57,000 individual members are spread across parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland. As Philadelphia’s Most Trusted Source of Golf Information, the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s mission is to promote, preserve and protect the game of golf.
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A Walk Through Time
GAP is the oldest state or regional golf association in the country. It started courtesy of a friendly competition – the Team Matches – and has grown into the preeminent golf association in the country. Along the way, golf history has been made.
